THE REASON

A Familiar Face In The Diner

The first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of hesitant pink and soft grey as we prepared to leave the small house for the infirmary, the unspoken agreement with Maya hanging heavy in the air. "Now remember," Maya reiterated, her gaze sharp and unwavering, "not a single word about who you truly are to anyone in this place." Veronica offered a curt nod, her usual defiance tempered by the gravity of the situation.

"Emma," Maya called out, her eyes locking onto mine, a plea etched in their depths. "Are you with us? Please, don't jeopardize everything we're trying to do here. We'll meet back here by dusk to discuss what we've learned." Her words carried a weight of expectation I felt acutely.

As we walked towards the infirmary, the dusty path crunching beneath our feet, Veronica's voice cut through the morning quiet, her tone laced with a familiar bluntness. "You know you can't tell him anything about yourself, right? So whatever ridiculous feelings you're brewing for him, you need to kill them. Now."

"What?" I stammered, a blush creeping up my neck despite the early morning chill, though I knew precisely who she was referring to.

"Jace, or whatever saccharine name he goes by," she confirmed, her expression tight with disapproval.

"Oh, don't worry about it," I retorted, attempting a nonchalant tone that didn't quite reach my ears. "It would never work anyway, considering our lifestyle of perpetual running, right?"

A flicker of unease crossed Veronica's face, a shadow of unpleasant realization dawning in her eyes. "Yeah… yeah, I suppose you're right," she conceded, though her voice lacked its usual conviction.

"Hey, you two!" It was Josette, emerging from the infirmary, her demeanor noticeably warmer than the previous day, a genuine smile gracing her lips. "You're here to help again? That's good of you."

"Morning, Jo," we replied in unison, a tentative sense of relief washing over me at her welcoming tone.

"Morning…" she trailed off, glancing around the relatively quiet infirmary. "Well, thankfully, there isn't quite as much to do today." She pointed a finger at Veronica. "You, you'll be assisting me with cleaning and redressing wounds, making sure there are no signs of infection." Then, she turned to me, a knowing glint in her eyes that made my stomach flutter with a mixture of anticipation and embarrassment. "And you, my dear, should go fetch Jace and the other patients some breakfast from the diner. Don't worry, you won't be going alone; someone will help you."

A thrill shot through me at the prospect of spending time with Jace, though a wave of self-consciousness followed swiftly behind. Was my burgeoning interest that transparent? I pushed the thought away, focusing on the task at hand.

Following Josette's directions, I made my way to the diner, a small, unassuming building emitting the fragrant aroma of frying food. Stepping inside, I encountered a tall, imposing black woman standing behind the counter, her brow furrowed in concentration as she wiped it down. "How can I help you, girl?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of weariness.

"I'm here to pick up food for the patients in the infirmary," I explained.

"Ria!" the woman called out, her voice echoing through the small space.

"Yeah?" a familiar, youthful voice replied from the back.

"Are you done setting up the food for the infirmary?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, just finishing up now," Ria answered, the sound of clanking dishes preceding her appearance.

Then, she emerged, pushing a small trolley laden with covered plates, and my breath hitched in my throat. Standing before me was Sarah. Or at least, someone who was her spitting image. The same vibrant energy, the same mischievous glint in her eyes, the same unmistakable curve of her smile.

"Sarah…?" The name escaped my lips in a shocked whisper, my carefully constructed composure crumbling.

Ria stopped, her eyes widening as she stared at me, a flicker of confusion mirroring my own. "Who now?" the woman behind the counter asked, her own expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"You… you…" I stammered, my mind reeling, trying to reconcile the impossible. It couldn't be Sarah. Could it? "Never mind," I mumbled, shaking my head in disbelief. "Okay," I said, forcing a semblance of normalcy, "let's just get these food to the patients." The unsettling encounter left a tremor of confusion and a host of unanswered questions swirling within me.

The walk back to the infirmary was fraught with a heavy, unspoken tension. The image of Ria's face, an uncanny mirror of Sarah's, replayed behind my eyelids, each flicker a fresh wave of grief and disorientation. "What was the name you called me again?" Ria finally asked, her voice tentative, attempting to pierce the suffocating silence.

"It's not important," I replied, my gaze fixed on the dusty path ahead, the joy of the morning completely extinguished. The memory of Sarah's final moments, the brutal c***k of her ribs, the gurgling cough… it was a relentless tormentor in the quiet corners of my mind.

"Sarah… was it…?" Ria persisted gently, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Hey… just drop it," I snapped, my tone sharper than intended, fueled by a sudden surge of protective rage towards the memory of my lost friend. "Like I said, it wasn't important."

Ria recoiled slightly, her expression shifting to one of complicated hurt and confusion. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's… it's fine," I mumbled in response, the edge in my voice softening slightly, though the raw ache remained. "Let's just get this food to the infirmary."

We arrived to find Veronica and Josette engaged in what appeared to be a genuine conversation, a stark contrast to their earlier guarded interactions. "Oh, the food is here!" Josette exclaimed, a welcoming smile gracing her lips. But Veronica's attention was solely fixed on Ria, her eyes wide with disbelief, her face pale.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ria asked Veronica, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her features at the intensity of the stare.

"How… how…?" Veronica stammered, her voice barely a whisper, her gaze locked on Ria as if she were a ghost. She then turned to me, her eyes pleading for an explanation. "What's going on here, Emma?"

"This is Ria," I answered awkwardly, the weight of the impossible resemblance pressing down on me. I busied myself with the trolley, distributing the covered plates to the injured patients, needing a distraction from the unsettling scene.

Ria, clearly bewildered by Veronica's reaction, stood frozen. Veronica, her initial shock giving way to a fierce protectiveness, made to follow me, but Josette gently placed a hand on her arm, holding her back. "I have to be with her," Veronica insisted, her voice tight with a sudden, fierce protectiveness. "I… I don't think I… trust her around Jace."

"…Trust…?" Josette scoffed, her eyebrows arching in disbelief. "You won't even tell me your names, and you speak of trust?"

Veronica offered a long, conflicted stare, her internal struggle evident on her face. "It's complicated," she finally conceded, her voice low and strained.

"It's fine," Josette replied, her gaze lingering on Veronica with a strange mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "Don't take all the time you need." The air in the infirmary crackled with unspoken questions and a growing sense of unease.

The lingering trauma of Sarah's image clung to me, a suffocating shroud that dulled the vibrant colors of the infirmary, turning the well-meaning chatter into a distant hum. For a fleeting moment, the world felt muted, the weight of loss pressing down with an unbearable intensity. Then, a gentle touch on my arm broke through the fog. "Hey, everything alright?" It was Jace, his movements surprisingly agile despite his fractured leg, having hopped his way over to where I sat, a silent observer amidst the activity.

"What are you doing out of bed?" I asked, my concern overriding my lingering sadness, my gaze instinctively flicking towards the entrance to ensure Veronica wasn't watching our interaction. "You should be resting."

"Mhmm…" he chuckled softly, a warm sound that resonated unexpectedly within me. "I didn't quite catch your name properly the other day," he continued, his emerald eyes fixed on mine with a gentle persistence that made it difficult to look away. He wasn't going to drop it.

I offered a hesitant look, a silent plea for him to let it go, but his unwavering gaze told me he was a man of gentle determination. "I'm Emma," I finally relented, the simple act of sharing my name feeling strangely significant. It's just a name, I reasoned with myself, there's no harm in him knowing.

The day, however, had already slipped through our fingers, the afternoon light softening into the warm hues of dusk as we made our way back to the small house. Maya had, as promised, prepared a meager supper, her expression a mixture of anticipation and weariness as she waited for our return.

Once we were seated at the table, the initial silence broken only by the clinking of cutlery, Maya addressed us. "How was your day? Did you both manage to learn anything useful?"

"Well," Veronica began, her tone laced with a dry cynicism, "apart from the fact that there are less than ten lone Cogs left in this godforsaken town, nothing particularly enlightening." This information, I gathered, was gleaned from her conversations with Josette.

"Did she mention where they might be?" Maya pressed, her interest piqued.

"During the attack, she mentioned the few who were wise enough to run," Veronica replied, "but for some reason, she wouldn't tell me who the attacker was."

"Emma," Veronica then turned her attention to me, her gaze sharp, "what about the girl from the diner? Ria, you said her name was. Who was she?"

"What girl?" Maya interjected, her eyes flicking between Veronica and me, sensing the underlying tension.

"Ria," I answered, offering Veronica a pointed stare that clearly conveyed my reluctance to discuss the matter further. The resemblance to Sarah was a raw wound I didn't want to pick at.

Maya, ever observant, caught my silent plea and wisely decided not to press the issue. But Veronica, ever persistent, continued. "Didn't you ask her anything about herself? Like where she's from?"

"No, I didn't, Vera!" I retorted, my voice rising with a frustrated edge.

"Alright, alright, Emma. Vera, drop it," Maya interceded, her tone firm, preventing the situation from escalating.

An awkward silence settled over the table, punctuated only by the rhythmic sounds of our eating. Finally, Maya cleared her throat. "Well," she began, breaking the tension, "there has been a new development. But before I tell you what it is…" She paused, taking a deep breath, her expression becoming serious. "I haven't been entirely sincere with you girls about my role in this place."

She stopped again, her gaze heavy. Then, she continued, her voice low and tinged with a painful regret. "Back when lone Cogs were being sold, there wasn't an easy way to capture them. They blend in, trying to live simple lives, until Rafe discovered a way. And that way… was my blood. Everything edible here was subtly laced with it. Even a tiny drop is enough. Any Cog who ingested my blood, or anything containing it, would go into a seizure and eventually pass out, making them vulnerable to being broken and converted into sired Cogs. I didn't mind at first, not when I was protected, when I was considered an important asset to the Supremes. But then… then I found out how agonizing it was to break a lone Cog's mind. It was unbearable to watch, and sometimes… sometimes they didn't make it. They died a very painful death…"

Her confession was abruptly interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Maya rose and went to open it. Standing on the threshold was Rafe. His question, delivered with a strange urgency in his voice, caught me completely off guard.

"Are they ready?"